Foot fungus is a serious infectious disease for human feet, which occurs as a result of the action of various pathogenic fungi and bacteria. This disease is quite unpleasant and quickly spreads from one person to another. For foot fungus to develop, certain conditions are required. For example, first of all, you need a warm and humid environment where fungi and bacteria can successfully reproduce. And people with excessive sweating of their feet are most susceptible to this disease.
In children, foot fungus is very rare, but in boys 14-16 years old, the fungus begins to develop and appear very quickly. This disease occurs in adolescence not by chance, since at this time hormonal fluctuations occur in the body of a young person and the composition of his sweat secretions changes, as a result of which pathogenic bacteria develop on the skin. Endocrine disorders are also of great importance, because they change the composition of sweat, which provokes the development of mycosis. And infection with fungi occurs after contact with a sick person through socks, shoes, rubber mats, floors of swimming pools, baths, showers.
Usually the fungus appears in the form of peeling and mild redness of the skin, but literally after a while deep cracks appear on the foot. A little later, very strong calluses appear, peeling intensifies, burning and itching appears. And the symptoms of the fungus are especially noticeable between the toes, where the skin begins to peel off, a burning sensation and deep cracks begin to appear there. In severe cases, skin lesions prevent a person from walking. The best remedy for this course of the disease is to wash the feet under cold water. It should be remembered that any fungus develops quickly, affects the nail plates, and then moves to other parts of the body. If the fungus spreads very quickly, careful treatment and long-term prevention will be required, because the fungus often recurs.
Usually, ointments and other pharmaceutical preparations do not have a better effect than traditional methods of treating foot fungus. For example, herbal baths can be used in treatment. And to do this, you should deeply immerse your feet in a basin with cool water before going to bed; you need to dissolve one tablespoon of salt and the same amount of soda in the water in advance. After this, be sure to rinse your feet with very clean water. For this disease, the most useful herbal tea is to prepare it by taking ten grams of string, eight grams of tricolor violet, eight grams of crowberry and pouring all this with just one glass of boiling water. The decoction is infused for 30 minutes, after which it should be taken regularly, two tablespoons three times a day. You can also prepare a special ointment to treat fungus. For example, you need to prepare tar ointment, for which you use regular baby cream, and then add tar drop by drop. Treatment begins with approximately 5% tar, and with excellent tar tolerance, the percentage can be increased to 20%.
If the fungus is neglected, doctors strongly recommend sprinkling the surface of the fungus with finely crushed mint mixed with salt. Mix salt and mint and then place between your toes for one hour. This procedure must be repeated 2 times a day until the fungus completely disappears from the feet.
To prepare it, take ten parts of a fat base, three parts of birch tar, two parts of sulfur powder, mix all this and heat until a homogeneous ointment is obtained. This ointment is used to treat skin and nails. As a result, cracks from fungi heal very quickly; it is advisable to lubricate wounds and cracks more often with ordinary vegetable oil. In addition, you can take Vaseline or baby cream and add crushed propolis to it, heat it all in a steam bath, and then mix everything until smooth. The finished ointment should be stored in a very dark and cool place.
This ointment is prepared quite simply at home: take three parts of propolis and grind it to a homogeneous mass together with two parts of vegetable oil. After this, you need to add five parts of regular butter, heat everything in a water bath, mix well. You can also prepare a special anti-fungal mash; it will require 50 ml of tar, 70 ml of alcohol and 50 grams of glycerin, all mixed in a dark bowl. This mash is used to lubricate all sore spots on the feet several times a day. In addition, you can prepare another recipe for which you beat an egg and add to it one tablespoon of vegetable oil, the same amount of 70% acetic acid. This remedy should be used as an ointment that treats foot and nail fungus.
You also need to regularly treat the affected skin with alcohol tincture of propolis. You can also mix vinegar, water, tincture of iodine in equal quantities, and then lubricate the nails and feet with the prepared solution. They also moisten the nail plates and skin with vinegar, then put on thick socks and go to bed. In addition, you can use a mixture - two parts alcohol and the same amount of vinegar essence, one part glycerin and mix everything. The mixture should be applied to the nails, and a patch on top, until the nail plate is completely detached.
Has your nail suddenly turned yellow and started to crumble? Is the nail plate slowly but surely thickening and becoming stained, not pleasing with its appearance? These are signs of nail fungus, a disease caused by special types of parasites.
Once on the nail plate, the fungus begins its dirty work. It penetrates deeper and deeper, gradually capturing the entire nail. The causative agents are dermatophyte fungi. Sometimes the disease is caused by molds or yeasts.
Dermatophyte does not cause illness in everyone. Elderly people are most susceptible to nail fungus. But the disease rarely affects young children. This is due to the fact that children's nails grow very quickly. In addition, the child’s nails are smooth, without damage, it is very difficult for the fungus to penetrate deeper.
Old age is far from the only risk factor. Fungus often occurs in those who love artificial nails, as well as in those who like to walk barefoot in public places. Frequent manicures and pedicures also contribute to the disease, especially if they are performed unprofessionally. Many diabetics suffer from fungus. Wearing tight, non-ventilated shoes creates a microclimate favorable for dermatophytes.
Fungi that cause onychomycosis are very resistant in the external environment. They are not at all afraid of drying out; they die only when boiled for a long time. Mushrooms are also indifferent to sub-zero temperatures; they can easily withstand frost down to –60 degrees. Disinfection does not immediately cope with dermatophyte fungi. They live in the sand on the beaches for years and wait in the wings. The ideal environment for mushrooms is humidity and warmth. Direct sunlight is also not scary for them.
The causative agents of onychomycosis do not like an acidic environment, so most traditional methods of treating fungus are based on the use of acids.
Fungal diseases are easily transmitted, and therefore the sick person must take care of the safety of others. So, you can't:
If the fungus has infected your toenails, you need to take care of hygiene, otherwise self-infection will occur. Change socks or tights daily, wash them in very hot water and iron them at the highest possible temperature. Socks should be purchased from breathable materials to prevent your feet from sweating. Sweat is an ideal environment for mushrooms.
The patient's bed linen is also changed every day.
Shoes are wiped daily with disinfectant solutions, such as formaldehyde or chlorhexidine. Regular acetic acid will also work.
You should not use nail polish during illness!
Nail fungus is a disease that absolutely cannot be neglected. In the initial stage, when the pathogen has penetrated shallowly, it can be cured quite quickly. But those who started the disease will have to be patient. The fact is that it is possible to completely recover from an advanced form of fungus only when the nail is completely renewed. And this will happen no earlier than in 3 months. It doesn’t matter what means are used, folk or medicinal. You cannot skip days of treatment, as everything will start all over again.
If you suspect onychomycosis, you should see a doctor. But why do this if there are a lot of ointments in pharmacies? And on TV they advertise medicines for this scourge. It's simple. The fact is that the doctor, firstly, must confirm the diagnosis, and secondly, prescribe tests. Only after this should you begin treating nail fungus with folk remedies.
Folk remedies against onychomycosis are quite effective. Even advanced cases can be cured if all instructions are followed. For all the recipes below, one rule applies: make a special bath before the procedure. The bath is prepared as follows: add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and grated soap, preferably dark laundry soap, to very hot water. Do the procedure for 10-15 minutes, then wipe it dry and cut off the softened areas. It is necessary to trim as carefully as possible so that the medicine penetrates deeper. Naturally, after this you need to thoroughly disinfect scissors, nippers and files and do not let anyone use them.
For this medicine you will need a chicken egg and a glass jar with a wide neck. Place the egg in this jar, being careful not to crack it. Then take acetic acid and pour in the egg. It must be completely hidden. The shell will dissolve in the acid, and the egg will remain in the film. Throw away the film, and put what’s inside in a sterile container. Mix egg “jelly” with acetic acid and butter. It should be a very thick ointment. Use it to lubricate the affected nail plates. Nails should be steamed and treated as described above. The product is very effective and can be used in advanced cases.
You can try treating your nails with regular acetic acid. People who used 70% acid noted that it successfully cured advanced nail fungi.
Apple cider vinegar also helps in the treatment of onychomycosis. Wet a cotton wool with it and apply compresses to each affected nail. Keep it on all night. In the morning, cut off the softened areas and generously lubricate with iodine.
Grate the horseradish and apply the resulting paste to steamed and trimmed nails. Bandage it and keep it like that overnight. This remedy is one of the most powerful, provided that not a single procedure is skipped.
People who are interested in traditional medicine and alternative methods of treatment often grow the so-called kombucha. The drink, which is obtained as a result of its vital activity, is useful for many diseases, including nail fungus. For treatment, simply screw a piece of mushroom onto the sore nail overnight. This remedy will help in the initial stages. You can also make compresses with a mushroom drink.
Advanced fungal nail diseases can be cured by garlic . It has a fungicidal, i.e. antifungal, effect. Mix equal parts garlic juice with 70% alcohol and lubricate pre-steamed and trimmed diseased nails.
Take a tablespoon of vinegar essence and 70% alcohol. Add a teaspoon of glycerin. Mix. Lubricate your nails at night every day after baths. Try not to get it on your skin. The product is effective even in advanced stages.
A very simple, and, most importantly, method against fungus is regular iodine. You will have to be patient a little, but the result is worth it. Before the procedure, you need to trim your nails as much as possible, file them and steam them. Then add iodine. This method will only help in the initial stage.
Grind coffee beans and brew strong coffee. Immerse the sore arm or leg in a hot drink for 10 minutes. Do these baths 2 times a day. The product is effective against the initial stage of the fungus. Coffee must be natural, from ground beans; instant varieties are not suitable.
If nail fungus is caught at the very beginning, you can try to overcome it with celandine oil. You can buy it ready-made at the pharmacy or make it yourself. To do this, pour dry celandine with any oil preheated in a water bath. Leave for a week in a dark place.
The oil is applied in the form of compresses to the nail plate for an hour. Before this, make a hot bath of celandine decoction (2 tablespoons per liter of water, boil for 15 minutes) and trim the diseased nail.
Instead of oil, you can use fresh celandine juice. It is even more effective. To obtain juice, the flowering plant is dug up entirely with roots. Rinse the celandine and grind in a meat grinder. Squeeze out the juice. Lubricate the nail plate and nail folds generously with this juice. To store the juice, it is mixed equally with alcohol and kept in the refrigerator in a tightly closed bottle.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil has a good effect in treating stage 1 nail fungus. Lubricate steamed nails with oil 3 times a day.
Bees use propolis to protect their home from viruses, bacteria and fungi. Preparations with propolis have pronounced antifungal activity. You need to make compresses with pharmaceutical tincture of propolis. Steamed nails are literally poured with tincture so that it penetrates everywhere it can. Each affected finger is bandaged at night. The method also works with advanced fungus.
Some may find it funny to use home remedies when a doctor can prescribe ointments. This is true, but do not forget that ointments are not cheap, and treatment takes a long time. In advanced cases, doctors prescribe pills that are bad for the liver. For those whose fungus has progressed too far, surgery to remove the nails is prescribed. All this is traumatic, especially for older people. Therefore, you should definitely try folk remedies for nail fungus. They will help restore beauty without injury and pain.